Improved washing-machine



A. M. SMITH. WASHING MACHINE.

No. 101,321. Patented Mar. 29, 1870.

waited $121M ANNA M. SMITH, or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 101,3 2] dated March 29, 1870.

IMPROVED WASHING-MACHINE.

'Iho Schedule referred to in then Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANXA M. SMITH, of the city of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement; in Washing-lihichine; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making apart of this specification, in which- I I Figure 1 is a perspectivc'vie-w of my improvement, showing the position of the upper wash-board in place for actual use, and also suspended from above for convenience in taking out and putting in articles of clothing, &c.; and

Figure 2 is a vertical section formed by a plane passing through the middle of the machine in the direction of then'rotion oft-he moving .vaslnboard.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention consists in an improved construction of Washinganachines, to be called the Lady \Yashing- Machine,-'-wherein two horizontal wash-boards operate face to face by the reciprocating motion of one. with fulcra so arranged as to secure ease of operation, and with devices for convenience in raising and suspendthe upper board at pleasure.

To enable others-skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

As shown in the drawings, it is adapted for use with an ordinary washing-tub a, and for thispnrpose the corners of the wash-boards'b and c and of the frame-work m, in which. the lower board is set, may I be rounded and beveled, the better to fit the tub.

The wash-boards b and care of the usual or any known construction, with corrugated or ribbed rubhing-faces, such faces being arranged so as to operate against each other. Suclr boards are made straight,-

(as distinguished from concave and convex,) and are arranged horizontal, or nearly so, the (mob stationary and as long as may be desired, but preferably so as to fit the inside of the tub a, and the other, 0, shorter and movable, so as, by a reciprocating motion on the lower one, I), to be operative in washing.

Each of the boards I) c has, at or near the middle of each edge, a journal 1: c. j

The power requisite to impart aJ'ccipr'ocating mo tion to the board 0 is given through a handle, (I, and side bars 0.

Each bar a is recessed or bifurcated at its lower end, as at e, so as thereby to rest on and engage the journals b of the stationary board b.

In each of the bars e, also, I make slots 8, extending from a point at or a little above the top, of the tub (a down as far as may be necessary, but preferably to about such a point that the. journal 0' operating therein will seldom, if ever, in its rnotiou, rest on the lower ends of such slots, the design being that in most cases the weight of the upper board 0 shall cause the frictional contact desired in the operation of washing.

The journals 0' operate in these slots s, and a reciprocating'motiou is communicated to the board 0 by moving the handle d back and forth. 'lf so desired, the frictional contact of the boards may be increased by weights placed on the upper board 0.

At or near the upper ends of each of the slots s, anl communicating therewith, I make a seat or recess, s, such that, when it is desired to remove the articles being washed or to put in more washing, the operator, by taking hold of the upper board c, (for which purpose handles may be provided, if so desired,) (-au'r'aisc' it up, rest one end over or on the edge of the tub a, and drop the journals 0' into the bearings s, as shown by dotted lines in fig. 1, where it is held suspended and out of the way till the operator is ready to resume; but, if so preferred, the upper board, handie, and side bars may be lifted out together, though the other mode of operation is preferable. By so ar-. ranging the devices described that the fulcra of the lever-operating side bars 0 shall be near together at the bottom of the tub; I provide for doing the work effectively with the least expenditure of power.

Tire machine cannot become clogged. Springs and other appliances liable to get out of ordcr'are dispensed with. It is cheap in construction, simple in operation, and durable.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the movable board of a pair of wash-boards, the side bars 0, each having a slot, s, and recess or hearing s, substantially as described.

2. The side bars 0 engaging at their lower ends, by journals 1) or otherwise, a fixed or stationary part of the machine, and having slots s extending to near the lower end of the bars a in which to operate the journals 00f the movable board, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof, I, the said ANNA M. SMITH,

have hereunto setnry hand.

- ANNA M. SMITH.

,Witncsses:

. J'. H. Sum,

A. it. J. bMrrrr. 

